Friday, August 17, 2001
[ UH WARRIOR FOOTBALL ]
UH hits hard, The UH football team managed some hard hits on defense and several long-distance connections on offense during last night's opening practice at Cooke Field.
throws deep
The Warriors open practice
with coach June Jones backBy Paul Arnett
parnett@starbulletin.comWarriors head coach June Jones walked across the football field at 7:30 p.m. for the first time since walking off it last November, symbolizing a new era for the program. He won't make any promises, but if the first practice is any indication, this team is much different from the 3-9 model of a year ago.
"I think the guys worked very hard in the offseason and it shows," Jones said. "We're in the best condition we've been in as a team in my three years here. When I first got here the summer offseason consisted of Dan Robinson throwing to a ballgirl. This summer we probably had 50 guys working out here at a time. It's abig difference."
Jones hopes that's reflected in the coming campaign. He began fall camp without defensive tackle Lui Fuga, defensive end Travis Laboy and Stanford transfer Tafiti Uso.
Uso is bothered by a bad ankle and is contemplating ending his career, Laboy is bothered by a nagging hamstring that kept him off the field last night, and Fuga is recovering from shoulder problems that will keep him sidelined for all of September.
That's not good news for defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa. What once appeared to be the strength of the team is now suspect, especially considering the loss of junior college transfer Isaac Sopoaga, whom many believed would be the best defensive lineman in the WAC.
"We're going to have to make do with the guys we have up front," Lempa said. "We've got some good ones in Wayne Hunter, Mike Iosua and Laanui Correa. We just can't afford for anyone else to go down."
Several hundred people braved wet and windy conditions that plagued the first half of the two-hour workout. What they saw were quarterbacks Tim Chang and Jared Flint connecting consistently and the defense -- particularly the linebackers -- packing plenty of solid hits.
"We want to do a better job of tackling than we did last year," middle linebacker Chris Brown said. "And I believe we will. It felt so good to finally be able to cut loose. We needed this. It was great to see all the fans here."
Jones said he felt great walking out on the field for the first time in nearly nine months. He'd missed all of spring practice after suffering a near-fatal automobile accident in February.
"All I have left to do is get that first football game under my belt and I will be all the way back," Jones said. "I was a little stiff out there. Iwasn't able to get out of the way like Iused to, but it was a good feeling."
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